My Turn - One person can make a difference

Published 6:00 pm, Monday, March 5, 2001

After losing my only child, Ryan, to meningococal disease, I realized there was a vaccine to prevent four of the main five serogroups of the bacteria that causes it.

According to the case management, only one of the 47 cases we have experienced by this recent outbreak in the Houston area was B, the one not covered.

Research and statistics show B not to be the main cause of meningococcal disease in the US at this time.

The rest were C and Y and were preventable by Menomune. Ryan's was C.

First I was angry, for the fact that there was a safe approved vaccine and no one told me. The available vaccine has been used on our military for years to prevent the disease. And yet my child had died and others were dying and being mutilated by this disease.

Then I grieved — I still am sad at the loss of my only child — but I got busy.

I joined hands and efforts with other parents across the country. We work on legislation and became part of the National Support Team for the Meningitis Foundation, USA.

We traveled at our own expense to Aventis Pasteur, the company that makes the vaccine that was given to our community recently. We spent hours with the research team and were educated on the vaccine.

In October 2000, I realized that Texas had Senate Bill 31, written by Senator Judith Zaffirini from South Texas. The Bill states that college students should be educated on meningococal disease and the preventives of it, including Menomune, the vaccine for it. I began to write to the senator as well as our own Senator David Bernsen and other legislators in Austin.

I asked them to expand this bill to cover all children in Texas.

My husband and I, along with the community and help of people around the state, collected more than 5,000 signatures on petitions in one week. We took those with information packets which explained the disease the latest information on the vaccine, etc., to Austin.

We, along with longtime friend Mike Smith, handed out, visited with, and lobbied more than 15 senators in one day.

On Jan. 30, 2001, that same day, and because of our efforts, Senator Zaffrini called a press conference at which I was invited to speak and announced she would expand this bill to include all children of Texas.

Senator Bernsen from our district signed on to co-sponsor the bill and our state Representative Ruben Hope promised to in the House.

Feb. 15 I traveled to Austin with parents from our area and two children who are victims to the disease. Harley Beaty, 4, who is deaf, lost her left foot, some of her left hand, has growth plate damage to her right leg and kidney damage.

Leslie Meigs, age 10, who was severely, life-threateningly ill, but lived because of a trial drug she was given, has severe scarring and some bone and kidney damage.

I, along with several other moms who have lost children in Texas, testified at the hearings to persuade the committee to expand the bill as I had requested.

A brave 10-year-old, Leslie, told of her illness and asked the committee to "Please help other children not to be sick."

Harley Beaty's aunt, Linda Williams, said, "I think about Harley getting married one day and only having part of a hand to place a ring on, and it breaks my heart."

I told the committee this disease had taken away my right to ever be the mom at a wedding, hold a grandchild or have the comfort of any child in my old age.

I felt the medical community and the government that governs such health issues had let me down, but even worse, had let Ryan and the other children down across the country who have died or been mutilated by this disease.

As a result of our efforts, I am proud to tell you the committee passed, by 100 percent, the expansion of Senate Bill 31 to cover all children in the state of Texas. Texas will be the first state to have such a bill on meningococcal disease and children.

If you would like to help, call or write your senator and state representative and encourage the passing of Senate Bill 31. Help protect our children.